When it comes to buying flagship Android smartphones in the US, we don’t have as many options as the rest of the world. We get a few choices from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, and a couple of others, but there’s clearly a need for more competition in the States.

So when Nothing announced last year that it was skipping the launch of the Phone 3 in 2024 to take its time building a “true flagship,” I was excited. Nothing has had a fresh take on smartphones ever since it unveiled the Phone 1 in 2022, and I was genuinely curious about what the company was working on.

Limited Android Smartphone Options in the US: The US market has fewer flagship Android smartphone options, primarily from Samsung, Google, and OnePlus, indicating a need for increased competition.

Nothing Phone 3 Launch and Design Focus: Announced after a delay, the Nothing Phone 3 emphasizes bold, transparent design and a new Glyph Matrix LED display, although initial impressions suggest it may be overly bold for some users.

Design Elements and User Perception**: The Phone 3 retains distinctive design features like exposed screws and a semi-visible NFC coil, but its bold appearance might not appeal to everyone, especially since the user might use a case.

Mismatch Between Market Position and Specifications**: Despite claiming to be a 'true flagship,' the Nothing Phone 3 uses mid-range components like the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip and Gorilla Glass 7i, which are below the high-end flagship standards.

Hardware Shortcomings for a Flagship Device**: The device omits top-tier features such as the latest Snapdragon chipset, premium glass, and faster USB-C, making it feel underpowered and less competitive in the flagship market.

On July 1, 2025, the company finally took the wraps off the Nothing Phone 3, and while I haven’t spent any hands-on time with the device yet, just going off early press coverage, I’m not impressed.

Right off the bat, as with every Nothing device, the main talking point of the Nothing Phone 3 is its design. Nothing has stuck to its transparent design language for every product it has released so far, and that hasn’t changed with the Phone 3 — only now, the design has gotten much bolder.

While the company used a “normal-looking” camera module for the Phone 1 and Phone 2, Nothing has gone all out this time. You get a pretty asymmetric camera layout on the Phone 3, with sensors not aligned in any particular order. The fact that the two camera sensors on the top left — which could have just been aligned but aren’t — has me absolutely puzzled.

The Nothing Phone 3’s Glyph Matrix

The company has also made a major change to the Glyph Interface. The Glyph Interface seen on previous Nothing phones is gone in favor of a Glyph Matrix, which is essentially a small dot-matrix-style LED display on the back. You can view notifications and even play games with this dot-matrix, which I think is a fun addition and far better than the old Glyph setup.

Other typical Nothing design elements remain too. You can see the half-visible NFC coil, a few exposed screws, and the overall raw, industrial look on the Nothing Phone 3. But despite all this, the design has somewhat failed to impress me.

Yes, I haven’t used the phone yet, but based on the official renders and hands-on videos I’ve seen, the design feels a bit too bold for my taste. It seems good enough to spark conversation and might be fun short-term, but in the long run — I can’t believe I’m saying this — I’d prefer a simpler design, especially since I’m going to put a case on the phone anyway.

It’s missing a few things a ‘true flagship’ must have

Specs alone don’t make a flagship, but they still matter

Until now, Nothing targeted the price segment (more on the price below) that sat above the budget smartphone market but just below the likes of iPhones and Samsung Galaxy flagships.

But that has changed with the Nothing Phone 3, with the company touting it as its first “true flagship” smartphone. That, however, doesn’t really reflect when you go through the spec sheet and compare it to what other phones offer.

The Nothing Phone 3 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, which isn’t Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip. Other phones like the OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 rely on the top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is absent here. There are other notable omissions too, like the use of mid-range Gorilla Glass 7i and a USB-C 2.0 port, which makes me feel the price tag should’ve fetched better components.

For a true flagship, having the best hardware available is fundamental, but Nothing has missed that mark.

Yes, I know, specs aren’t everything, and the real use might make me eat my words. But if Nothing is aiming for the flagship market, at least bring the raw power to justify the price and say you’re ready to compete with the big players.

Right now, the Nothing Phone 3 feels like a device that could’ve — and should’ve — been more. Maybe more hands-on time will change that?